Middlemen still have a say at Jl. Daan Mogot
Middlemen still have a say at Jl. Daan Mogot
Tertiana ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Just below the nameplate of the Jakarta Police Driver's License
Processing Unit at Jl. Daan Mogot Km 11, West Jakarta, there is a
sign warning people not to use the service of middlemen.
Apparently, though, the warning is just hot air.
As soon as you arrive at the office to apply for a driver's
license, a group of people will approach and offer their
services, saying that they could help applicants bypass the time-
consuming medical exams and written and driving tests. The
official process takes about a week, but the middlemen would say
that it could be one month and guarantee that you will get your
license in only two days.
These middlemen, who claim to be registered service bureau
agents, offer their services at a price.
Napitupulu, who has been a middleman since 1998, said one set
of blank application forms is priced at Rp 110,000 (US$12.5),
while the official fee is set at Rp 95,000. "But these forms have
already been authorized. You just need to put your name on them,"
he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The middlemen asked for Rp 350,000 for their services in
seeing the whole process through, reassuring that the applicant
would not have to spend even one more rupiah for the license.
"The 'contacts' inside will make sure that you will only need
to be photographed, nothing else," said another middleman,
Hutagaol, referring to the police attendants at the office.
The official closing hour for drivers' license applications is
at 12:30 a.m., but the middlemen operate until 3 p.m. They are
not worried that the police will kill their business, either.
"We're partners. Why do you think the police put the warning
at the entrance? Because, if they don't, the number of middlemen
will keep increasing. Besides, we're from a registered service
bureau. The only legal offense we've committed is seeking clients
at state institutions," Napitupulu said.
And what if the applicant is not a Jakartan?
The middlemen will take care of it.
"A Tangerang identity card can be done in one day, but a
Jakarta identity card takes longer -- three days. Just leave us
your official photograph and you can get your new ID for Rp
75,000," Hutagaol offered up his goods.
The middlemen asked for a total of Rp 475,000 for a complete
package, claiming that most of the profits would go into the
police's pockets, while they would enjoy only about Rp 50,000 at
the most.
Napitupulu claimed that he had just helped a German to obtain
a Jakarta ID card with a home address in the elite neighborhood
of Menteng, plus a driver's license. The client paid a total of
Rp 600,000.
"What can't money buy in this country?" he quipped.